Navi Mumbai police has registred a case against BJP president Ashish Shelar after a complaint was registered by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Preeti Sharma Menon

CITING jurisdiction issue, the Mumbai Police is soon going to write to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Preeti Sharma Menon asking her to approach the Navi Mumbai police on her plaint against city BJP president Ashish Shelar. In August this year, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Mumbai Police had recorded Menon’s statement in an alleged money laundering complaint given by the leader against Shelar.

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“Since the companies in which the irregularities are alleged to have been committed are located in Navi Mumbai, we are soon going to ask the complainant to approach the Navi Mumbai police and also transfer the papers to them,” a senior official privy to the developments told The Indian Express.

“We haven’t gone into the details as the companies are not located in Mumbai. The Navi Mumbai police will be in the position to probe the case and investigate if the allegations levelled by the complainant hold any merit,” the official added.

Earlier in July this year, the AAP had held a press conference against Shelar claiming that he had allegedly laundered money through three companies in which he was the director.

According to AAP, Sarveshwar Logistics Private Limited, formed in 2010 by Shelar along with two other directors, conducted no visible business and didn’t even have any employee or project work to show. However in it’s first of business, the company in 2010-2011 received share application money of Rs 3.6 crore, and loans and advances of Rs 26 lakh. It also purchased property worth Rs 3 crore. Next year, it received an unsecured loan of Rs 6 crore.

“How come a start-up, with no business operation and no revenue, received such a high amount of share application money? Surprisingly, in the very next year, Sarveshwar also received an unsecured loan of Rs 6 crore, without any collateral or business model to show,” the AAP had questioned in July.

In its complaint letter to various agencies – including the EOW, the State Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), and also the Enforcement Directorate (ED) – the complainant had alleged that the money secured from various sources has been used to purchase properties.

“In four years, Sarveshwar owns properties worth Rs 18.46 crore. These are clear cases of money laundering. Apart from paying the audit fees, there is no expenditure of the companies. All these companies are on papers and made to convert black money into white,” the AAP had alleged. In his defence, Shelar, had dismissed the allegations made by the AAP calling it baseless.

Addressing the media in July, Shelar had said, “The total investments made in three firms of which two were defunct did not exceed Rs 45 lakh.” He said he had already quit as director of the existing Sarveshwar Logistics, which was started in partnership with a friend in which he owned 33 per cent shares.